Asheville and the nation observe Governmental Ineptitude

Asheville and our nation observe governmental ineptitude as this budget farce continues unabated in Washington. Planned parenthood, NPR funding and clean air initiative as only several of many ludicrous, completely inane reasons why consensus cannot be achieved. Are you jesting? Having been involved in Planned Parenthood in my previous work before innkeeping, I can assure you there is not one dollar of government funded money subsidizing abortion. It is funding much needed preventative women’s health care. That said, I repeat, are you jesting? If the real, stated agenda here is to cut costs… why have I not heard one word about corporate taxes,stripping tax cuts for the wealthiest of Americans or touching the holy grail of oil profits in this country as a means test of where we could most easily make these cuts?

During the 1995 government shut down at a cost to the American citizens of 100 million dollars a day with the final cost of this shut down at 1.25 billion dollars it begs the question…Does anyone there understand how to add and subtract? Just the executive branch of government employs over 2 million individuals.

In 1995, just in the area of direct results to the closing of National Parks, the government shut down cost Americans 300 million dollars. One year post this shut down, the small businesses dependent upon tourism dollars were still in decline. We own one of those small businesses; a Bed and Breakfast but we are only one miniscule increment of an entire nation watching while these fat cats in Washington in both parties dally, while dancing on a pin trying to survive their pitiable efforts in governing. We simply must be able to demand better than this. One day while walking in our historic neighborhood during the 2008 election cycle, I noted a sign in our neighbors yard with amusement. It said, “Through all the bums out.” I remember thinking at the time laughing at the directness and rather bitter message of this sign that it was a bit over the top. Now, I’m not so sure.